Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Welcome to my Torture Chamber

Welcome to my torture chamber.Come on in, I will be your PARCC test proctor.I will force you to go against every fiber that makes up a 13 year-old boy.Please read the directions on your screen and follow along as I read them aloud.Stop squirming. There will be many tools at your disposal: highlighter, answer eliminator, calculator, etc.You will sit still for 80 minutes then you will sit still for 75 minutes. No talking. No moving. No help. No interaction.Please enter your unique test code and password.Please stop talking, squirming, asking.Stop telling me you are frustrated. Please be quiet. This is a torture chamber, not a playground.There will a series of questions, symbols, equations. Stop telling me you don't know how to do this. Stop drawing. This.is.serious.I will keep track of the time.No, it is not time to stop. You must keep going. Keep going. Keep going.Please enter the seal code written on the board.Quite. Quiet. Please stop drumming. Please stop tearing a hole in your sleeve for your thumb. Please stop drawing. This.is.serious. You may use a calculator.Welcome to my torture chamber. I want to let you out. But I can not.You may review the section you completed, but don't go on to the next section until directed to do so.Welcome. I can not.Welcome.

And the prison experiment continues. The jailors. The prisoners. Play your roles. Things will escalate. Who will end this? When will the participants realize that they can withdraw from this experiment at any time? Ah, crowd psychology you say. Participant agency we desire. (Assembly required. Batteries not included.)